Warm Pearl Couscous Salad
25 min
Meal
Salad
Servings
Total
25 minPrep
8 minCook
17 minSwap out
tree nut
gluten
Free from
soy
peanut
sesame
Ingredients
Salad
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1 cup (159 g)dry pearl couscous
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2 tsp (10 mL)olive oil
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2 cups (328 g)cooked chickpeas
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2 cups (298 g)cherry tomatoes, quartered
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½ tspsalt
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¼ tspground black pepper
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½cucumber, sliced into half-moons
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¼ cup (34 g)black olives, sliced
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3 Tbsp (6 g)fresh mint leaves, chopped
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2 Tbsp (3 g)fresh basil, chopped
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2 Tbsp (2 g)fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
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¼ cup (34 g)roasted unsalted almonds, chopped (optional)
Dressing
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3 Tbsp (45 mL)extra virgin olive oil
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3 Tbsp (45 mL)red wine vinegar
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½lemon, juiced
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¼ tsppaprika powder
Directions
- Cook the couscous according to the package instructions, then drain.
- Meanwhile, to a medium pan on medium-high heat, add the oil, chickpeas, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 5 - 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
- In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dressing.
- To a large bowl, add the drained couscous, tomato and chickpea mixture, cucumber slices, olives, and fresh herbs. Add the dressing, toss to combine, spinkle over the almonds, and enjoy!
Storage
- The salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge separate from the dressing for up to 3 days.
- Combine the dressing and salad when ready to enjoy.
Let us know what you think
Plate method
The Plate Method is a visual tool that helps us ensure our dietary needs are on track. Touch the image below to see how this recipe measures up.
Grains & Starches 30%
• dry pearl couscous
Proteins 27%
• cooked chickpeas
• roasted unsalted almonds
Fruits & Veggies 43%
• cherry tomato
• cucumber
• black olives
• fresh mint leaf
• fresh basil
• fresh parsley
• lemon
Calcium
No significant sources of calciumFat
• olive oil
• black olives
• roasted unsalted almonds
• extra virgin olive oil
Nutrition info
We believe that focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. If you require specific nutrition information due to a medical condition, please consult with a dietitian or physician. The nutritional information provided is composed with the utmost care. However, we cannot guarantee the correctness of the displayed values, see also our disclaimer.
Watch it step-by-step!
Discussion & Rating
Loved this!
I tried making this one for New Year's meal and my god it was incredible! I had made it not warm but cold and still had great result. Thank you, very much for it! 😘
This one is great for BBQs. I have also made it with a vegan pesto for a different flavour (sort of like combining this recipe with the quick pesto cous cous salad).
Very tasty! I was a bit reluctant about the mint but it really is a good add in this salad!
I tried this last week and was worried if it would fill me up or not, but it really did! I'll definitely make this many times again!
Hi, this looks lovely. I was just looking for a recipe with pearlcouscous. Great. But I also neat to stay in a calorie budget. And would love to cut about 100 calories per serving. I think the sting is in the dressing. Could you recommend a less caloriedense dressing that fits with this recipe?
This recipe made us eat pearl couscous for the very first time. We love how easy it is to whip together and I especially love the tangy taste of the dressing! We have made it two times now, the first time according to instructions above except for swapping the red wine vinegar with apple cider vinegar which I think tastes delicious. The second time I was suddenly craving it badly and we made do with the ingredients we had in the house, meaning we used bell pepper (and some of our mini home grown cherry tomatoes hehe), green olives and apple cider vinegar instead of tomatoes, black olives and red wine vinegar. It still tastes really good and I love that we were able to source up to 4 ingredients from our balcony garden :D
Thanks for this recipe! My husband and I both love this. I am not vegan, but this taste so good :) I did a bit unhealthy non-vegan modification for the Warm Pearl Couscous Salad.
1) Add few shredded pieces of steamed chicken breast (marinate the chicken for 15 min in Japanese sake, salt and black pepper). 2) Put the parsley into the tomato chickpea at the end of the heating (I feel heating helps to get the parsley flavor out). 3) I substitute the couscous with brown rice. 4) one tbsp honey into the salad dressing.
perfect and Tasty salad.
I made this recipe for meal prep this week and it was wonderful! Subbed couscous for quinoa for more protein and it was delicious! Love all your recipes!
I love all your recipes! so grateful! Thank you!!!
What is the nutritional value of this salad?
I love all your recipes!! Thank you so much for sharing 😀
This was fast, delicious, and easy. I particularly love the dressing. This is now added to my list of go to lunches.
This felt like a hug for my insides. So healthy, without compromising on flavour. Yet another PUL winner. Thanks Sadia!
Made this tonight and it will definitely be on the menu in the future!
I had a few handfuls of baby spinach left over from the night before and added it as I was folding in the chickpeas and tomatoes. Finished with fresh herbs from our garden and some roasted pepitas.
This was a great dish for a warm Florida evening!
Delicious, quick and cozy salad! The herbs make it fresh ans the pearl coucous brings the comfort, similar to a pasta salad. Perfect for those quick lunches and summer months.
Super lovely and easy! Really versatile, I also stir fried some zucchini, added in chopped artichoke, some roasted red peppers, really anything in the fridge. Delicious!
Absolutely delicious!!! Loved it soo much, that my family love it too now 🥰
Absolutely delicious! Thank you
Delicious! PUL recipes are always fantastic and the flavours perfectly balanced. Thank you for the endless inspiration!
I was wondering how much cherry tomatoes do I need, when it comes to grams? Is it also 328 grams like the chickpeas?
This recipe is AMAZING!
Loved the salad, it’s absolutely delicious! but it took me one hour and a half to prepare instead of 25 minutes… 😅
I just recently found this site and I'm so glad that I did. All the recipes so far, including this one, have been so good! I had to replace the mint for parlsey, the red wine vinegar for white distilled vinegar, and the couscous for quiona. This will be going into our weekly rotation. Thank you!
THIS IS SO GOOD AND ADDICTIVE!!! I made it for after school snack and just so good ❤️❤️
I've been looking for a good couscous recipe for ages, and this one is delicious. Thank you!
I just did this recipe and I absolutely love it! Thank you!
One amazing recipe! Made it today for lunch and turned out absolutely delicious and filling.
The best thing about all your recipes is, all the wholesome ingredients and making it under 20-30 minutes.
Thank you for sharing!!
This is one of my favorite things to make ! I swapped the tomatoes for red peppers. Thank you so much, this recipe is an absolute winner.
Favourite go to easy dinner
Every couscous is basically pasta. ;)
Thanks for the great recipe!
Easy and delicious! Thank you!
I made this today for nye and it was amazing! Really easy to make, but still very flavourful!
Made this for Christmas and everyone loved it! Fresh and easy to make. Perfect with our vegan tourtiere!
My husband and I made this for dinner tonight and we give it a 2 thumbs up! It was delicious, lots of flavors and the dressing was very complimentary and tied it all together. Loved all the colors in this plate. I have shared this recipe with my sister in Hawaii. I plan to make it again. Thank you for dinner! 😋
Sandra from Washington state.
Super easy and so delicious :)) i made a bunch for the rest of the week. Thanks!!
So yummy!
Loved it! So fresh, filling, and healthy. A winner for picnics.
Made this for dinner last night and my family loved it! Filling, flavorful and healthy!!
This is easily one of my favourite PUL salad recipes, very delicious ! Sometimes I make it without basil and parsley but still so yummy 😋
Without being vegan, I love ALL your receipts
Thank you so much for sharing
Dear PUL team, you have outdone yourselves!
You have taken something that I always believed to be super hard, "being vegan", and turned it into this delicious adventure. This recipe is how I started my veganism journey. Thank you for all the amazing work that you are doing! Please bring more amazing recipes like this one. They are a true culinary inspiration :)
Yours truly,
The Aspiring Vegans
It's so good! An explosion of flavours! Even my boyfriend who does not usually eat salads loved it. I use whatever herbs I have on hand and any kind of roasted nut, although almonds are superb. Thank you so much for this recipe <3
Delicious!
I tried this recipe and ate it cold on the beach and loved it! The roasted almonds are optional but I highly reccomend them! The nutty flavour compliments the dish really well and it gives it a crunch! Also, the herbs and lemon give it a freshness which is perfect for Summer!
I didn't have couscous on hand at the time I wanted to make this so I made it with quinoa and I also only had cilantro, which I finely chopped up the whole bunch and tossed it in......it was AMAZING! Fresh, zesty and delicious, it was perfect!! I love that this dish is so versatile, you can use pretty much whatever you've got on hand if you're not in the mood to make a special trip to the store.
This is a hit! I swear I ate it every week since it appeared on the blog.
Great for hot Spanish weather.
Thanks for sharing your recipes:*
Tried this recipe the day it came onto the website. So delicious and fresh. Instead of basil or parsley we used up some coriander in the fridge and it worked perfectly. Much love.
Omg this is one of my favorite recipes so quick to make and so zesty. A great way to use couscous. Thank you for doing all the hard work sadia and making it so easy for us. Thank u. Btw love the new website. Great job as usual.
Soooo good! Full of flavor and works perfectly for meal prepping
LOVE. Made with brown rice bc I’m gluten free and a Prosecco white wine vinegar. Will definitely be making this again - so soooo good!
This salad was a hit all around! I made it and brought it as a veggie side dish to a friend’s for dinner and adults and kids alike loved it. It was so easy to make and tasted fresh and healthy. Loved the tip about lightly roasting the pearl couscous ahead of time.
I made this salad to go with lamb wraps and it was so good!
So refreshing !! salads have never been more delicious :P
I made this in 'salad-in-a-jar' style for work and it was brilliant! That mintiness is so great! 😁
We tried this recipe a couple weeks ago and have been loving it since :) Such a flavorful salad that comes together so quickly.....I tried to prepare this salad using rice instead of couscous and that tasted amazing as well!!
This was the best salad I ever had. Today I made it for the second time already because it tastes so good. Delicious :-)
I have made this pearl couscous recipe last week and doubled up, so I could take it to work aswell. One word needed to describe how it tasted: delicious. I did use less dressing, since I'm not much of a dressing girl + I didn't have fresh basil at home, so I left that out. It was perfect! Hot ánd cold.
One of the best salad recipes I've tried!
This salad rules. It's so quick and easy to make on a weeknight. Other than the herbs, cucumbers, and tomatoes, it's mostly made of shelf-stable items. The "warm" aspect of it is satisfying, too. I recommend slowly integrating the dressing to your taste. (I only used half of the recommended amount.) I don't often have enough salad for leftovers (cuz it's so stinkin good), so I might try doubling the recipe. Approved by my picky omnivore partner.
Lovely refreshing colorful meal! I used apple cider vinegar and lime juice, instead, since I didn't have any red wine vinegar or lemon juice. The fresh herbs makes it so aromatic.
So simple and easy. I love this salad I made already 3,4 times. When I watched this recipe for the first time, I was skeptical because the dressing ingredients were too simple BUT this salad is very flavorful and soo yummy that I can’t stop eating it! It’s light and refreshing. Thank you for sharing:)
Was such a wholesome and yummy salad. Loved all the textures in every bite.
I used pearl barley and add a toasted seed mix in addition to the toasted almonds. Was quite filling for lunch.
This was ABSOLUTELY delish! I kept the dressing entirely on the side for my guests as i am not so fond of vinegar, and the salad itself has such immense flavors
Dear PUL-Team!
I really love your work and you have helped and inspired me in many, many ways!! Your new website is stunning and I really like the new features, which are so cool and helpful. I had/ have struggles with my relationship with food, especially calorie counting and I think your messages about food and also the text above the nutrition info is great. But the amount of calories per portion pops up when you google a recipe even if you don`t want to see it.
I hope you know what I mean. For me and I also think for many others it would be really helpful if it wasn`t written there - so that you only see it if you decide to read it.
Thank you for your great work, you have influenced my life in so many positive ways!
Lots of love from Austria (so also sorry if there are any mistakes:))
Fantastic salad! So fresh and flavorful ! Great video too!
I just made this salad for my lunch and was delicious! It was also very filling (probably because I couldn't help myself and ate half of it in one sitting) I had to made a couple adjustments though :
- Did not cook the chickpeas and tomatoes because I don't really like cooked tomatoes (and because I'm too lazy)
- Used rice vinegar instead of white wine vinegar and pearl barley instead of pearl couscous because that's what I had on hand
It was a refreshing burst of flavor! :)
https://ibb.co/10MdTw8
This salad is AMAZING.. easy, burst of flavors and warm comforting ❤️
Loved it!
Note: I only had mint and cilantro in herbs so I used those. I used apple cider vinegar and used roasted sunflower seeds.
Love this recipe p